Adjustable chest rest for dental chairs and the like



Nov. 9, 1965 e. c. LUTFY 3,216,767

ADJUSTABLE CHEST REST FOR DENTAL CHAIRS AND THE LIKE Filed April 22. 1964 INVENTOR. GEORGE C. LUTFY ATTOR N EY United States Patent "ice 3,216,767 ADJUSTABLE CHEST REST FOR DENTAL CHAIRS AND THE LIKE George C. Lutfy, 55 Windy Hollow Way, Staten Island, N.Y. Filed Apr. 22, 1964, Ser. No. 361,834 6 Claims. (Cl. 297-391) This invention relates to a chest rest assembly for use in combination with a chair, for example dental and surgical chairs and the like, and in particular, to an improved dental chair characterized by means for supporting the chest of a dentist as he works upon a patient in a variety of positions.

Dentists are subjected to considerable physical strain while working upon patients for prolonged periods of time. Generally, the nature of the work is such that a dentist stands in a somewhat forwardly inclined or other uncomfortable postural position as he Works over the patient. This results in strain on the body which is usually felt along the long muscles of the back and results in high and low back pains, as well as strain to the sacroiliac, a common occupational hazard. Attempts to provide relief have included the use of contour shoes, back rests, foam rubber mats and operating stools; but these proposals have not been as effective as desired.

I now provide a chest rest assembly and, in particular, an improved combination of a dental chair and chest rest assembly adapted to be employed in a variety of positions, whether the chair is adjusted in the upright or in the reclining position, and whether the dentist is standing or in the seated position.

It is thus an object of my invention to provide a chest rest assembly adapted for use with dental chairs and the like, the chest rest assembly being so designed as to maintain the dentist in a forwardly inclined position so as to allow the back muscles to relax.

Another object is to provide a chest rest assembly adapted to be coupled to a structural element of a head rest assembly on a dental chair.

As a further object, I provide a chest rest assembly embodying adjustably mounted supporting sections arranged for either universal or independent movement relative to a structural support on a dental chair so that the chest rest assembly can be adjusted in a plurality of directions to suit the convenience of the dentist without interfering with the head rest of the chair.

A still further object of my invention is to provide the combination of a dental chair and a chest rest assembly adapted to provide chest support for a dentist while working in a variety of positions about a patient.

These and other objects will more clearly appear from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts one embodiment of the chest rest assembly provided by the invention connected to a structural element associated with a head rest assembly of a dental or similar chair not shown;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross section of the chest rest supporting arm showing one type of device which may be employed for providing a pair of adjustable universal joints adapted to be rigidly locked in position by means 'of a wedge mechanism;

FIG. 3 is illustrative of a working position of a dentist showing how the chest rest may be positioned relative to the chair in providing some support to a dentist while standing in front of and slightly to one side of a patient in a somewhat forwardly inclined position;

FIGS. 4 to 6 are illustrative of another embodiment of a chest rest assembly connected to an element of a head rest comprising chest rest means terminally mounted via 3,215,757 Patented Nov. 9, 1965 a universal joint to an arm which in turn is mounted to or is coextensive with an element of a head rest, FIG. 6, showing in cross section another embodiment of the ball joint associated with the chest rest;

FIG. 7 is illustrative of another work position showing how either of the embodiments of FIGS. 4 and 5 may be employed to support a dentist standing to the right but behind the patient; and

FIG. 8 shows diagrammatically the top view of a patients head divided into quadrants to illustrate the various work positions of a dentist.

In its broad aspects, my invention comprises a chest rest assembly for use with a dental chair having a head rest assembly adapted for accommodating the head of a patient receiving medical or dental care. The elements which cooperate to form the assembly include chest rest supporting means terminally mounted to an arm, the arm being mountable on or an integral extension of an element of the head rest assembly, the chest rest means being preferably connected to the arm by means of an articulatable joint, such as a universal ball joint.

As another embodiment, the invention may comprise in combination a dental chair having a head rest assembly extending upwardly therefrom with a structural element, for example an adaptor bar, rigidly associated therewith to which the chest rest assembly is coupled.

Generally speaking, a right-handed dentist works in two major positions: in front of and slightly to the patients right (note FIG. 3), and in back of and also to the patients right (note FIG. 7). Of these two positions, a substantial portion of the Work on the patients mouth is conducted from behind the patient where the dentist is manipulating his tools within and to the rear of the mouth. Thus, referring to FIG. 8 which shows diagrammatically the top view of a patients head divided into four quadrants, the approximate frontal position of the dentist is that shown by arrow X in the second quadrant, while the approximate back position is that shown by arrow Y in the third quadrant. The later position is necessary in order to get access to most of the areas of the mouth. In this regard, a chest rest to reach the front position may not be as necessary as one for the back position, since a dentist spends more time in the latter position which tends to put more stress on the lower portion of the spine and the back muscles.

Referring first to FIG. 1, the upper portion of a dental' chair is shown comprising a head rest assembly designated generally by the numeral 10 adjustably connected at 11 to a post 12 extending upwardly from the body of a chair not shown. The head rest comprises a pair of head rest sections 13 and 14 mounted in the usual manner to opposite ends of a yoke 15 comprising branch arms 16 and 17 which are integral with shank 18.

The head rest assembly has rigidly connected to it alongside shank 18 a structural or adapter element 19 to which one embodiment of a chest rest assembly is adjustably coupled by means of a clamping or other suitable mechanism. The structural element 19 is rigidly connected via its ends to the top of post 12 via screw or bolt 20 and to the head rest yoke via screw or bolt 21. An adjustable mounting clamp 22 is provided having a turn lever 23 connected to a threaded shank which passes through the legs of the clamp to cause the legs to be drawn together so that the clamp tightly grips structural element 19 to form a rigid mounting. Clamping means 22 can be moved along either direction of the structural element depending on the position desired.

Connected to the other end of the clamp is a support bar 25, said connection comprising a bolt and hinge joint combination 26. A tightening of the bolt fixes the joint against movement. The other end of the bar terminates into a lockable ball and socket joint 27 of the universal (3 type with arm 28 which in turn has at its opposite end another lockable ball and socket joint 29 connected to a stub shaft mounted to chest rest 31 via connecting legs 32. The arm containing the ball joint mechanisms is provided. with locking levers 33 and 34 to be explained in the light of FIG. 2.

The purpose of the ball joint between supporting bar and arm 28 and between arm 28 and the stub shaft of chest rest 31 is to enable the chest rest assembly to be easily adjusted or manipulated into any one of a plurality of desirable angular positions. However, once the desired position has been achieved, the chest rest must be locked in position in order to support the force applied to it by the dentist. The chest rest is preferably round and made with a layer of padding, such as sponge rubber covered with a fabric, plastic or other suitable covering material. One method of locking the ball joints is depicted in FIG. 2 which shows arm 28 as an enlarged cross section for purposes of clarity.

Arm 28 is in effect a thick walled steel tube containing at one end ball 27a connected to the end of support bar 25 and at the other end ball 28a connected to stub shaft of the chest rest mounting. Ball 27:: is held partially within arm 28 by means of cap 35 screwed to one end of the arm. A ball seating member 36 is included to provide a universal mounting for the ball. The rear face of member 36 is inclined at 37 and is engaged by a similarly inclined wedge 38 in threading engagement with threaded member 39 to which lever arm 33 is connected. Threaded member 39 is held in place by a cap 3%. A right angled wall 40 is employed as a back-up member to wedge 38.

Similarly ball 28a is held partially within arm 28 by means of a cap 41 screwed to the other end of the arm. Likewise a ball seating member 42 is included to provide a universal mounting for the ball, the seating member also having a rear face inclined at 43 which in turn is engaged by a similarly inclined wedge 44 in threading engagement with threaded member 45 held in position by cap 45a. Lever 34 is connected to member 45 so as to enable rotation of the member in tightening the joint. Wedge 44 like wedge 38 is also backed-up by wall 40.

As will be evident from FIG. 2, once the desired angular position has been obtained with the universal ball joints, the position can then be fixed by merely rotating lever arms 33 and 34 to displace wedging members 38 and 44, respectively, which in turn urge seating members 36 and 42 tightly against the balls and fix them against any further movement.

As illustrative of several positions which a dentist might assume in working on a patient and which positions tend to place a strain on the back muscles, reference is made to FIGS. 3 and 7 of the drawing. In FIG. 3, the dental chair is shown with a back rest 46 having a metal base plate 47 joined thereto to which post 19a is adjustably connected. As will be observed, structural element 19a is connected to the head rest assembly and supports chest rest assembly designated generally by the numeral 48. Note that chest rest 31 is directed to the chest of the dentist against which he leans to relieve his back of added stress. In this position, the dentist works from the front of the patient and must incline his body forwardly towards the patient.

In FIG. 7, the dentist is shown working from one side and slightly to the rear of the patient. In this position, the dentist is forced to assume a posture which puts some strain on the low portion of his back including the sacroiliac. Referring to chest rest assembly 52 shown, the dentist may manipulate chest rest 31 merely by placing his chest against it to the rear of the patients temple without encumbering his hands as he works on a patient. Other embodiments similar to this particular chest rest are shown in FIGS. 4 to 6. The advantage of this type of chest rest is that the dentist is able to plant his feet further away from the dental chair, thus allowing his knees to assume a more normal relation to the body, thereby minimizing fatigue, in the neck muscles.

The support of the postural position shown in FIG. 7 is particularly critical and to insure comfort in this position, the chest rest assembly should be as compact as is structurally possible. In this position, the left part of the dentists chest approaches the rear portion of the patients temple near the patients ear and the chest rest is preferably adjusted to present itself to the chest about two to three inches from the patients temple. This provides the support required and at the same time allows the dentist sufficient range to manipulate his instruments within the patients mouth.

Referring to FIG. 4, a combination head rest and chest rest assembly is shown in which the chest rest is coupled to one end of a branch of the head rest. The head rest shown comprises a shank 55 having integral therewith two laterally extending branches 56 and 57 forming an arc and having spaced ends 58 and 59 connected to a yoke-like member 60, by means of a set screw 61. The yoke-like member has upstanding portions 62 and 63 on which are pivotally supported head rests 64 and 65. An outline of a head 66 is indicated showing its approximate position relative to the head rests.

Near the end of branch 57, a chest rest assembly is mounted comprising a bracket 67 surrounding branch 57. The bracket is held fast thereto by means of a set screw 68, the bracket being integral with an offset arm 69 which runs along the side of branch 57 and attached thereto by a set screw 70. Offset arm 69 has an inwardly projecting shoulder 71 coincident with branch end 59 and terminates into a chest rest support member 72 which is somewhat coextensive with branch 57 and projects inwardly of the end of the branch and rises upwardly opposite the rear portion of the patients temple and has adjustably connected to its terminal end portion by a universal joint 73 a chest rest 74 of foam rubber or plastic covered with a sheathing of material, such as leather, plastic or the like. Support member 72 has a hinged joint 72a which is lockably fixed by a fastener 7215 as shown in the event it is desired to pivotally drop the chest rest.

The ball joint employed with the chest rest 74 of FIG. 4 and even FIG. 5 may be frictionally mounted, that is held securely in place by means of a biasing spring as shown in the partial cross section of FIG. 6. There it will be noted that support member 72 is integral with ball 73 which ball enters closure element 73a secured to the chest rest. A block member or wall 74a confined within the closure element has a recess containing a spring 74b which is biased against the ball to apply pressure thereto and assure support for the chest rest.

Another embodiment is shown in FIG. 5 in which a similar head rest assembly is shown comprising a shank 75 connected to a dental chair not shown having integral therewith two lateral branches 76 and 77 with a yoke 78 pivotally connected at its ends to branch ends 79 and 80 via set screws 81. A pivotally mounted head rest 82 in the form of a continuous arc of resilient material, such as sponge rubber, is provided. In this instance the chest rest assembly is shown as an extension 84 of branch 77 connected to yoke 78 by set screw 81. As with support member 72 in FIG. 4, extension 84 is shown coextensive with branch 77 and projecting inwardly of the end of the branch and gradually rising so as to be positioned approximately opposite the back portion of the patients temple as shown in FIG. 7.

With regard to the chest rest, its supporting area should be sufficient to support the chest of the dentist Without causing discomfort. For example, assuming a circular chest rest as shown in the drawing, the diameter thereof may range from 4 to 7 inches, or from 4 /2 to 6 /2 inches.

As will be appreciated from the foregoing description, the chest rest assembly may comprise a plurality of jointed sections in which the joints are adjustable to different angular positions to enable the positioning of the chest rest in any desired direction conducive to providing comfort for the dentist, or the chest rest assembly may be compactly constructed so as to be part of the head rest itself. While the joint near the chest rest may be a lockable universal joint of the ball type, it may be a simple friction type joint. Other types of joints may be employed which will enable multidirectional positioning of the chest rest as will occur to those skilled in the art. However, in standing behind the patient, I prefer the combination of the type shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 associated with the head rest assembly itself. In standing before the patient, it may be desirable to have a structural element rigidly associated with the head rest assembly, a support bar adjustably connected by clamping means to said structural element, an arm adjustably and rigidly connected by means of a lockable universal joint to the support bar and chest rest means adjustably mounted by means of a lockable universal joint to the extending arm. With regard to the head rest assembly, this may comprise a yoke with means for adjustably supporting the head of a patient with a shank connected to the yoke which in turn is connected to a post extending upwardly from the chair. In one embodiment, the structural element may be rigidly connected to the head rest assembly from the post to the yoke. This serves to stiffen the head rest assembly as well as provide a support for the chest rest assembly provided by the invention.

The term dental chair as used herein is not to be construed as a limitation and is meant to include other like chairs in which a chest rest is desirable.

Although the present invention has been described in conjunction with preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as those skilled in the art will readily understand. Such modifications and variations are considered to be within the purview and scope of the invention and the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a dental chair and the like having a head rest assembly comprising a shank having integral therewith a pair of branches each extending laterally from each side of said shank and adapted with head rest means for sup porting the head of a patient, the combinaion with said head rest assembly of a chest rest assembly comprising an arm rigidly integral with a branch of said head rest assembly, and chest rest means adjustably mounted on said arm, said adjustably mounted chest rest means projecting upwardly from said branch to position it adjacent and in spatial relationship to the temple of a patients head supported by said head rest so as to provide support for the chest of a dentist, whereby the knees of the dentist may assume a more normal relation to the body, thereby minimizing fatigue in the neck and back muscles.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the arm supporting said chest rest means is coextensive with the terminal portion of said branch and rises upwardly from said branch to position the chest rest means adjacent and in spatial relationship to the temple of a patients head supported by said head rest assembly.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein the arm supporting the chest rest means has connecting means associated with one end thereof, said arm being rigidly coupled to the branch by said connecting means.

4. The combination of claim 2 wherein the arm supporting said chest rest means is a unitary extension of said branch.

5. In a dental chair and the like having a head rest assembly adapted for supporting the head of a patient, the combination of a structural element rigidly associated with said head rest assembly, a support bar adjustably connected by clamping mean to said structural element, an arm adjustably and rigidly connected by means of a lockable universal joint to and extending from said support bar, and chest rest means adjustably mounted by means of a lockable universal joint to said extending arm, said adjustably mounted chest rest means projecting upwardly from said extending arm towards, adjacent and in spatial relationship with the temple of a patients head supported by said rest assembly so as to provide support for the chest of a dentist, whereby the knees of the dentist may assume a more normal relation to the body, thereby minimizing fatigue in the neck and back muscles.

6. In a dental chair and the like having a head rest for supporting a patients head, the combination with said chair of a chest rest assembly comprising a structural element associated with said chair, an arm extending from said element having chest rest means adjustably mounted on said arm, said adjustably mounted chest rest means projecting upwardly from said arm to position it adjacent and in spatial relationship to the temple of a patients head supported by said head rest so as to provide support for the chest of a dentist working over a patient, whereby the knees of the dentist may assume a more normal relation to the body, thereby minimizing fatigue in the neck and back muscles.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 522,192 7/94 Browne 297-407 527,056 10/94 Gilson 297408 556,952 3/96 Akeley 297-405 662,387 11/00 Baker 297-391 893,016 7/08 Ritter 297-405 1,686,631 10/28 May 297-406 1,821,560 9/31 May -1. 297-405 FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A DENTAL CHAIR AND THE LIKE HAVING A HEAD REST ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A SHANK HAVING INTEGRAL THEREWITH A PAIR OF BRANCHES EACH EXTENDING LATERALLY FROM EACH SIDE OF SAID SHANK AND ADAPTED WITH HEAD REST MEANS FOR SUPPORTING THE HEAD OF A PATIENT, THE COMBINATION WITH SAID HEAD REST ASSEMBLY OF A CHEST REST ASSEMBLY COMPRISING AN ARM RIGIDLY INTEGRAL WITH A BRANCH OF SAID HEAD REST ASSEMBLY, AND CHEST REST MEANS ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED ON SAID ARM, SAID ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED CHEST REST MEANS PROJECTING UPWARDLY FROM SAID BRANCH TO POSITION IT ADJACENT AND IS SPATIAL RELATIONSHIP TO THE TEMPLE OF A PATIENT''S HEAD SUPPORTED BY SAID HEAD REST SO AS TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE CHEST OF A DENTIST, WHEREBY THE KNEES OF THE DENTIST MAY ASSUME A MORE NORMAL RELATION TO THE BODY, THEREBY MINIMIZING FATIGUE IN THE NECK AND BACK MUSCLES. 